Poetry, Music and Conscience. Lucano from The Coronation of Poppaea by Giovanni Francesco Busenello and Claudio Monteverdi

Abstract

The article discusses the role of Lucano in the dramatic structure of The Coronation of Poppaea. After a deeper analysis, the poet, an episodic figure, turns out to be an important element in the reconstruction of the ideological background of the works by Busenello and Monteverdi. This is achieved by context reading of the opera libretto in two fundamental aspects – biographical and literary, based on two groups of textual sources related to Lucano – the first consisting of information about his life and work, and the second, which is his own works. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of Farsalia, a poem that shows numerous ideological affinities to Busenello’s libretto. A detailed analysis of literary contexts also reveals the self-thematic aspect of the scene with Lucano’s participation and the moral aspects of poetic creation that emerge in connection with it.